African Anglican Leaders Outraged Over Gay Bishop in U.S("The Devil has clearly entered our church"

African Anglican Leaders Outraged Over Gay Bishop in U.S. By MARC LACEY and LAURIE GOODSTEIN

AIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 3 — Africa's Anglican leaders expressed fury on Monday at the consecration of a gay bishop in New Hampshire, renewing their intention to break from the American church and deepening an ideological fault line that crisscrossed the world.

"The Devil has clearly entered our church," said Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, who has announced that his church will have nothing to do with the Episcopal Church U.S.A., which sanctioned the election of Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who was consecrated on Sunday.

Similar sentiments were heard from conservative church leaders around the globe.

"The United States have declared independence," Archbishop Gregory Venables, Anglican leader of the Southern Cone of South America, said. Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney told the Reuters news agency, "It's a sad day for the church."

The opposition seemed most vociferous in Africa, where gays remain closeted and popular sentiment regards same-sex relationships as a vice exported from the West. Attacks against homosexuality are a feature of Sunday sermons, and political leaders condemn gays as aggressively as the man on the street does.

The Anglican leaders stopped short, however, of declaring that their provinces had formally "broken communion" with the Episcopal Church in the United States, a more drastic step that means they would refuse to share the eucharist with American bishops. "Broken communion" could also mean they would refuse to attend church meetings with Americans or to accept missionaries from the United States.

Instead, in a statement issued by Archbishop Peter J. Akinola of Nigeria, who has led the drive to denounce homosexuality, the conservative Anglican leaders declared their provinces to be in a state of "impaired communion" with the American church.

Canon Kendall Harmon, a leader in the conservative American Anglican Council, which is working with the conservative primates overseas, said, "Impaired communion is a further step of separation which says that if there isn't a process of repentance, reparation and healing, we are headed toward broken communion, and that's the worst."

Behind the talk about "communion" is a telling political reality, several church leaders and scholars said in interviews. The primates from the global south are unlikely to cut ties entirely with the Anglican Communion because it is the source of much of their legitimacy and financial support.

And as angry as they are, the primates from the developing world joined in signing a statement at a meeting called last month by the archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, in which they agreed "not to act precipitately." That statement was hammered out over two days of contentious meetings in which the archbishop struggled to hold the communion together.

At the meeting, the primates decided to form a commission to examine, as they said in their statement, the "theological and legal" ramifications of how to keep the Anglican Communion intact when "grave difficulties arise" between and within the provinces. That commission, which includes church leaders from across the spectrum, is expected to produce its report a year from now. Some church analysts said that out of respect for Archbishop Williams, the primates opposed to homosexuality may simply be waiting to see what the commission produces.

In the meantime, several primates made clear on Monday that they would refuse to recognize a gay bishop and break ties with only the diocese of New Hampshire. Stanley Ntagari, a spokesman for the Ugandan Anglicans, told The Associated Press that the church of Uganda, the second largest in Africa after Nigeria's, would break communion with the New Hampshire diocese and refuse to recognize "that man as a bishop."

Bishop Robinson was consecrated in a church service in which more than 40 bishops gathered around him and laid their hands on his head and declared him to be a successor to the apostles of Jesus.

Homosexuality and the family

Jon Harrop
Guest Opinion
November 03, 2003

In the Oct 9 Arbiter, the front-page article “Take the Pink Door” gave praise to the homosexual culture that’s growing in Boise. It was both shocking and very sad that this new “culture” is finding such support. In accepting things that were until very recently so abominable we see a definite change in attitude. Some might glory in this new perspective. They are not seeing a new renaissance, as they might want to think, but a plummet in the moral integrity that built America, as well as ancient Rome. While we cry about jeopardized civic liberties, and fight on that front, we ignore the true skeleton of freedom, MORAL RESPONSIBILITY. This neglect toppled Rome. No one is above the horror of a world without moral guidelines. “The true measure of a civilized society is its adherence to laws that are inherently unenforceable,” Mark Peterson said. If our nation were invaded, who would not take up arms? If our moral foundation is attacked, who will fight?

Words that now reference the homosexual world are pink, rainbow, and gay. These words once had good meanings, and using them attaches that goodness (in part) to the repulsion of homosexuality, but nothing outraged me more than to read the motto of the nation’s “coming out day:” “It’s a Family Affair.” The hypocrisy is deep and the shame is beyond any words I can find to say. And as also stated in the article, The Human Rights Campaign promoted this motto! I can think of no greater threat to human rights than to advocate abandoning all solid ground. No other phrase brings such warm, peaceful and agreeable feelings to my heart than “family.” Homosexual relationships are not, nor will ever be, a family. The Webster’s Dictionary defines a family as “the spouse and children of one person,” or “all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.” Inherent in the word is the ability to reproduce.

“It is the man and woman united that make the complete human being. Together, they are most likely to succeed in the world,” Benjamin Franklin said. Marriage is divinely appointed between a man and a woman. Nature has organized it this way. There is a reason two men cannot have children. Of course we have tendencies and strong desires. “It is not from nature, but from education and habits, that our wants are chiefly derived,” said Henry Fielding. Whether that be anger, or misdirected sexual drive, or dishonesty, it should be controlled. Passion is a beautiful thing but our conscience and ability in controlling it is what sets us above the dogs. “People boiling with hormones will wonder why they should not give full freedom to their desires. If unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, they may ruin their life before they … understand that sexuality is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group,” according to Ariel Durant.Charles Colson stated, “The family is the most basic unit of government. As the first community to which a person is attached and the first authority under which a person learns to live, the family establishes society’s most basic values.” What happens when there is serious moral confusion, and broken homes? It is intrinsically vital that the definition of family be sound and that we strengthen our homes by standing our moral ground. Only by this course will our civic liberties be safe. “The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions, Albert Einstein said. “Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.”

Jon Harrop is a construction management major at Boise State

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.